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Delegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities - Tuesday, 14 July 2026 - 1.00 pm
July 14, 2026 at 1:00 pm Delegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities View on council websiteSummary
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The Delegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities meeting on Tuesday 14 July 2026 approved the commissioning of a new substance use service for children and young people and the recommissioning of several primary care and community pharmacy services. Councillor Kate Gregory, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, chaired the meeting.
Substance Use Service for Children and Young People
The meeting approved the proposal to commission a new substance use service for children and young people. This will involve a procurement exercise to transition to a new seven-year contract, with an initial term of three years and the option to extend for up to four additional years. The annual budget for this service will be up to £700,000, funded by ringfenced drug and alcohol funding within the Public Health Grant. Authority was delegated to the Director for Public Health to manage the service design for the procurement and to award the contract to the successful bidder.
The current contract for these services ends on 31 March 2027. The report highlighted that while the service aims to support children and young people affected by their own substance use or that of their parents or carers, the target for the number of children engaged in structured treatment had not been met. The decision to recommission through a competitive process under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 was made because direct award processes were not deemed suitable due to performance issues and the competitive nature of the market. This aligns with Oxfordshire County Council's Strategic Plan 2025-2028 and the Oxfordshire Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2024-2030, which aim to improve health and tackle inequalities. The funding is ring-fenced within the Public Health Grant, ensuring its dedicated use for substance use provision.
Dynamic Approved Provider List Agreement, Primary Care and Community Pharmacy Services
The Cabinet Member also approved the recommissioning of several services provided under the Dynamic Approved Provider List Agreement (DAPL) for primary care and community pharmacy. These services include Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC), NHS Health Checks (NHSHC), and Drug Use Shared Care within primary care settings, as well as Pharmacist Supervised Consumption of Prescribed Opiate Substitution Therapy, Needle Exchange Programmes, and Take-Home Naloxone services within community pharmacies.
These services are mandated and statutory, and the current contracts are due to expire on 31 March 2027. The recommissioning will be for a period of four years, with an option for the Council to extend for up to a further three years, under the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) Direct Award Process B. The proposed annual contract value for the Primary Care DAPL is approximately £1,540,000, and for the Community Healthcare (Pharmacy) DAPL is approximately £293,000. Funding for these services is also provided through the ring-fenced Public Health Grant. The decision to recommission these services supports the Council's vision of helping people live healthy lives and aligns with the Marmot Place Programme's goal of creating a fairer, healthier Oxfordshire. The PSR allows for direct award to eligible providers meeting minimum requirements, eliminating the need for an overarching framework agreement.
Delegated decisions linked to this meeting
Decision summaries below are AI-generated from the council’s published record. Check the council source or the full decision page before relying on them.
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Petitions and Public Address
Recommendations ApprovedDelegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities approved recommendations on 14/07/2026.
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Declaration of Interest
Recommendations ApprovedDelegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities of Oxfordshire Council approved recommendations on 14/07/2026.
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Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Recommendations ApprovedDelegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities approved recommendations on 14/07/2026. The Cabinet Member approved the business case and the option to recommission the Integrated Sexual Health Service using the Provider Selection Regime. Authority was delegated to the Director of Public Health and Communities to approve the recommission of the ISHS Contract for 5+3 years from 1st April 2027.
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Questions from County Councillors
Recommendations ApprovedDelegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities of Oxfordshire Council approved recommendations on 14/07/2026. Cllr Sargent addressed the meeting on agenda items 5 and 6.
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Substance Use Service for Children and Young People
Recommendations ApprovedDelegated Decisions by Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities approved recommendations on 14/07/2026. The decision was to commission a Substance Use Service for Children and Young People through a procurement exercise for a new 7-year contract. The Director for Public Health is delegated authority to manage service design and award the contract.
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Dynamic Approved Provider List Agreement, Primary Care and Community Pharmacy Services
Recommendations ApprovedThe Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities of Oxfordshire Council approved the recommissioning of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception, NHS Health Checks, Drug Use Shared Care, Pharmacist Supervised Consumption, Needle Exchange, and Take-Home Naloxone services. This decision was made on 14 July 2026. Authority was delegated to the Director of Public Health to award contracts for these services for four years, with an option for a three-year extension.
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